Kenneth McAlpine was born into the McAlpine construction family and did not start racing until his late 20s when, funding himself, he drove a Formula Two Connaught with reasonable success. He raced in seven grand prix between 1952 and 1954, but the Connaught's were no match for the big manufactures. He retired from racing in 1955 to concentrate on the family business, and he also set up the internationally renowned Lamberhurst Vineyard in Kent.